What exactly is Blaxploitation? Similar to film noir, Blaxploitation, a genre that dominated American theaters for a decade, doesn’t have a strict definition. You just sort of know it when you see it.
These films locate interest in Black empowerment, and feature a set of stock characters: private dicks, slick pimps and pushers, and foxy women seeking revenge. Often Whitey receives the bulk of the ire, though anyone who undermines the community—no matter their race—is severely punished. The films are also defined by their earworm soundtracks, delivered by the era’s biggest soul artists: James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Earth, Wind & Fire, and more.
Because the genre is tied thematically rather than aesthetically—to be clear, these films are still defined by colorful fashions and tricked-out cars—a Blaxploitation picture can come in all shapes and sizes. Along with revolutionary visions of underworld figures rising to become local heroes, these movies can be a sweet coming-of-age story, a dusty Western, a creepy horror flick, a tender family drama, or a blown-out musical.
For that reason, with this essentials list, which salutes Shout! Factory’s recent box set of Blaxploitation classics, I’ve tried to offer a smattering of each kind of Blaxploitation film while tipping a cap to the genre’s biggest stars. Unfortunately, that means a witty musical like Car Wash, the cartoonish vampire tale Blacula and the ruthless Willie Dynamite didn’t make it. I also tried to only have one film per director and endeavored mostly to have movies that are publicly available—though I’d implore you to keep an eye out for a rarity like Jamaa Fanaka’s Emma Mae.
So pop on a playlist of the genre’s mega hits, pick out your hair and open your slang dictionary because we’re talking about the powerful Black men and women in Mayfield’s words who are “gambling with the odds of fate.”
